Dr. H. Randall Dozier called the meeting to order at 11:30 am. He then asked Mrs. Ashley Jacobs to call the roll. Dr. Dozier noted for the record that media notification had been made in accordance with the Freedom of Information Act, and that a quorum was present.

Dr. Dozier presented the minutes of the November 9, 2012 Board Meeting to the Board for approval. Dr. Dozier made a motion for the minutes to be approved. The motion was seconded by Mr. Ken Jackson. The minutes received unanimous approval by the Board.

Executive Affairs Committee:

Dr. Dozier noted that the Executive Committee met at 8:30 and it was decided that they will meet at 8:30 in the future. No action was required or taken.

Academic Affairs and Accreditation Committee:

Mrs. Patricia C. Hartung began by presenting Resolution 01-13, Resolution for Approving the Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering Degree Program for approval. Mrs. Hartung made a motion for approval. Mr. George McIntyre seconded the motion. Resolution 01-13 received unanimous approval by the Board. Dr. Dozier noted that this degree program is historic for the University.

Mrs. Hartung reported that the Academic Affairs and Accreditation committee heard from the new Chair of the Faculty, Dr. Rebecca Flannagan, about some staffing changes. Additionally, the committee heard from Dr. Peter King, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Enrollment Management. Mrs. Hartung highlighted the following points:

Recruitment is going well and event attendance is high.

They have been working with students in getting the Pell Grant. Mrs. Hartung noted that the Pell Grant was not affected by sequestration.

Lastly, Mrs. Hartung reported that the faculty is working with students getting their class schedules underway, and the Board was pleased to hear about the outstanding work that the faculty and students are undertaking.

Development and Alumni Committee:

Mr. Tracy Freeman began by announcing that Mr. Jay Dowd accepted a position at another University and that Mrs. Elizabeth Cooper would be the Interim Director of the FMU Foundation.

Mr. Tracy Freemen then made some announcements:

The accounting firm of DeLoach and Williamson is currently conducting the annual audit of the Foundation for calendar year 2012.

The golf tournament is scheduled for next week, Friday, March 8 at the Country Club of South Carolina.

The Athletic Auction is scheduled for April 24th in the Performing Arts Center. The proceeds are designated to support our athletic scholarship fund.

Current and past participants of the Non-Profit Leadership Institute and the Rural Leadership Institute are invited to a one-day workshop on Friday, May 10 on campus. The two groups combined have over 200 alumni.

Alumni Affairs Report:

Mr. Freeman reported that the Alumni Office continues to seek new and innovative opportunities to engage alumni in a lifelong connection to each other and to Francis Marion and to encourage alumni support. Accordingly, they have planned a number of events and activities over the past few months, including the following:

December 1, 2012 – Director Julian Young and 15 Student Alumni Association members met from 8:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. to pick up trash along the mile of highway they have adopted along Freedom Blvd.

February 12, 2013 – The School of Education Alumni Awards Reception was held in the Cottage. Four awards were presented.

Novice Educator – Chasity Davidson ‘10

Veteran Educator – Dawn Fowler Walker ‘11

Administrator – Dr. Robert L. Heaberlin ‘84

Education Leader – Amy McAllister-Skinner ’07 (who is also the South Carolina Teacher of the Year)

February 15, 2013 – The School of Business held their annual Leadership Awards Breakfast at the Performing Art Center. The Morgan B. Coker Outstanding Alumnus Award was presented to James Scott Rowe, MBA ’02.

February 15, 2013 – Homecoming reception and concert: The Alumni Association hosted a reception and concert at 6:30 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center for graduates, students, faculty, staff, and community members as part of Homecoming 2013 festivities. Approximately 190 attended. This was a ticketed event and featured the Blue Dogs.

February 28, 2013 – The Annual Alumni Awards Reception was held last evening in the Performing Arts Center. A coffee and dessert hour immediately followed the presentation. Award recipients included:

Mr. Freeman noted that a number of Student Alumni events are planned for March and April.

May 11, 2013 – The Alumni Association will host a Race Day Tail Gating Party at Darlington Raceway. Alum and Darlington Raceway VP/General Manager Terry “Mac” Josey is helping with arrangements.

Financial Affairs and Facilities Committee:

Mr. McIntyre stated that the committee met and reviewed the quarterly Budget Summary report. He reported that the University has received approximately 95.5% of the general funds and expended 58% for the fiscal year. He noted that the University is right on target for expenditures this year. Mr. McIntyre thanked Vice President for Business Affairs, Mr. Jay Kispert, his staff and all of the faculty and staff that contributed to this effort. Next he stated that the headcount is stable. He then stated the importance of Pell Grants for students. He noted that according to the Budget Summary report, FMU is projected to receive about $10 million dollars in Pell grants. Mr. McIntyre reported that there has been a request made to the State in the FMU annual budget request 2013 -14 for the Engineering program and Health Sciences Program.

Mr. McIntyre then gave a facilities update. He reported that the new Office Services building will be completed in April and they anticipate that move in will be the second week of May 2013. Mr. McIntyre then reported that a proposal has been made to the Florence County Transportation Committee and it has been referred to the Department of Transportation for the construction of a median just outside the main entrance to the campus. The median will be located between the main campus and the main entrance to the Athletic Complex. He noted that it would be a great asset for beauty and safety. Dr. Carter closed the report by thanking Senator Leatherman for his help with the median construction that is taking place now. He noted that the main reason for the median is for the safety of FMU students crossing between campus and the Athletic Complex.

Student Affairs and Athletics Committee:

Mr. Eddie Gunn began by announcing updates and past events.

Leadership FMU concluded in November; 21 students were recognized for completing the program. Leadership FMU will begin again in September.

The ROTC Commissioning Ceremony for Thomas Geddings was held on December 14, 2012.

The fifteenth annual Martin Luther King, Jr. celebration was held on January 17, 2013 and the speaker was Darryl Jackson.

The FMU Dance Marathon was on January 25 and 26, 2013. This event was well attended with over 230 students and raised $4,500 dollars was raised. There will be a check presentation at the Dance Marathon reception on March 13, 2013 at the PAC.

The University Programming Board held a Student Involvement Fair on January 30, 2013.

The Career Development Office is coordinating a Career Connections Program.

Mr. Gunn then announced the upcoming events:

The Ms. FMU program is scheduled on March 7, 2013 at 6:00 in Chapman Auditorium.

The Career Fair will be held on April 10, 2013 from 12:00 – 2:30 in the UC Commons.

The ROTC Commissioning Ceremony for Tyrone Adkins will be held on May 3, 2013.

Mr. Gunn then referred to the report given by SGA President, Cody Simpson, in Student Affairs and Athletics Committee meeting. He reported that Cody is completing his second term as SGA President ending in May 2013. He reported that the 2013 Patriot Pride Homecoming Parade had 32 different organizations represented and it was a huge success. Mr. Gunn then stated that the SGA is getting more involved in the community. They have reached out to the Connie Maxwell’s Children’s Home in hopes of volunteering in the near future. On March 5, 2013, the SGA will be holding their annual Town Hall/ Student Forum meeting. Staff members in Campus IT, Campus Police, Dining Services, Residence Life, Financial Assistance, Student Affairs, Career Development and the Patriot Bookstore have been asked to attend their question/answer panel discussion. Mr. Gunn noted that this is a chance for students to interact with some of the University Leadership. He then reported that the Student Legislature will be attending their spring session in Myrtle Beach this April. The delegation recently elected current SGA secretary, Libby Sims, as the new Chair. He noted that spring elections are soon and the SGA will be getting a new slate of officers. Mr. Gunn ended the SGA report by wishing Cody Simpson well.

Mr. Gunn then gave an Athletics report. He referred to Mr. Murray Hartzler’s report given at the committee meeting earlier. The fall GPA for FMU athletes was 3.0 for the first time ever and 85 of those athletes had a GPA higher than a 3.0. The GPA was 2.42 campus wide. Mr. Gunn then reported that the women’s soccer team won the academic award for the eighth time in nine years. Ian Wallace was named NCAA Division II all-academic team in 2012. During the past school year, nine FMU student athletes garnered PBC all academic honors for their respective scores. Mr. Gunn then reported that the Athletics dept. has a $220,000 goal for a Swamp Fox club fundraiser of which 168,678 has been collected. Next, he reported that longtime Baseball coach, Gerald Griffin, was inducted into the FMU hall of fame. He then stated that the men’s tennis team is ranked #27 and the women’s tennis team is ranked #10. Mr. Gunn ended his report by reminding the Board about the Athletic Auction and how important it is for fundraising for the Athletics Department.

President’s Report

Dr. Carter began the report by acknowledging Dr. Beckie Flannagan and her service as chair of the faculty during her first year. He also thanked Cody Simpson, the SGA president for his contributions to the student body and the university.

Dr. Carter then proceeded to report on the following items:

Status of the USC Medical School Branch Campus in Florence (in collaboration with FMU);

Marion Medallion presentation (in partnership with the Morning news); and

Alumni Awards presentation and reception.

He then updated the Board on the status of the university’s prospective funding in the appropriations bill- $400,000 recurring in the house and the senate version for the industrial engineering building and $200,000 nonrecurring in the house version and $5M nonrecurring in the senate version for the health sciences building.

Dr. Carter reported that board’s executive committee earlier this morning had ratified the proposal to name the loop road at the athletic complex for Harlan Hawkins in recognition of Dr. Hawkins loyalty as a fan of patriot athletics. A ceremony will be scheduled in early June.

Finally, Dr. Carter asked the concurrence of the board to move the next board meeting from Friday, June 28th until Thursday, June 27th, thus allowing the university’s fiscal staff a full day to implement any financial actions that the board may take before the beginning of the new fiscal year.

Finally, Dr. Carter thanked the board for its service and commitment to the university.

Mr. Lee asked Dr. Carter to describe the impact that the industrial engineering degree would have on the university. Dr. Carter drew an analogy between the nursing programs and the engineering program, explaining that both would impact workforce needs positively across the state and the region. He also felt that the IE program would produce more graduates likely to remain in the region.

Unfinished Business

Dr. Dozier announced that the Nominating Committee has a report to finish and then referred to the Nominating Committee Chairman, Mr. Ken Jackson. Mr. Jackson began by thanking Trustee McIntyre and Trustee Emery who also serve on the Nominating Committee. He announced that with the addition of the new 7th congressional district the Board seats have been reconfigured. As a result of that, there will be several new Board members in July 2013. He reported that in going through the officer nominating process, the committee took the addition of new members into consideration. He then noted that the officers’ elections and Trustee elections are during the same time and the potential for overlap could create a problem such as the officers being nominated and being elected at the same time. He then read the amendment:

Amend Section 4 by striking “spring” and inserting “fall” in the following sentence.

Election of officers shall be held at the quarterly spring fall meeting biannually.

And further amend Section 4 by striking “summer annual” and inserting “quarterly winter” in the following sentence.

New officers will assume office at the summer annual quarterly winter meeting.

This will effectively move the current cycle for the Board officers from the summer of odd numbered years to the winter of even numbered years. The present slate of officers would continue to serve until February/March of 2014.

The amendment of the Bylaws require notification to the Board members 30 days in advance of voting and passage by a 2/3 vote of those present at the meeting.

Mr. Jackson reported that this amendment is a motion from the Nominating Committee.

Dr. Carter told the Board that they would vote on this amendment at the June 27th Board meeting.

Mr. Jackson stated that it made sense to have the elections at this time of year so that it does not conflict with the Trustee election cycle. Dr. Carter noted that a new slate of officers will not immediately have to implement a brand new budget, but they will have the opportunity to come in midway through a year, learn more about the budget and they will have 6 full months before the next budget is presented. He noted that this is a good training process. Mr. McIntyre noted that it gives new Trustees more time to get into their seats, learn more about the University and learn the make-up of the Board before they have to vote. Dr. Carter then noted that previously new Trustees were to decide which committees they would like to be assigned to before they know the inner workings of the Board. Now they are able to familiarize themselves before they respond to the Chairman with regard to the committees that they wish to be assigned to.

New Business

No new business.

Dr. Dozier made the motion to adjourn and Mr. Ken Jackson seconded it. The Board adjourned at 12:05 pm.